Golden Boy
by hopefulmuse617
Summary: Set between "Early Warning" and "Elder Wisdom". How Ed decided his 'hero name', his outfit and how the Outsiders reacted. Some minor ships of BartxEd
1. The Name

**Hi there,**

**Inspired by a comment made by a character in "where you don't see me?" by artimiscrock(e_katara) and (e_katara), a fanfiction on Archive of Our Own, another fanfiction site. In one chapter Jaime teases Ed about his hero name sounding 'braggy'. I think so as well, but I can also see why since he based off the DC Super Friends hero "El Dorado". So I decided to make a 'possible' scene in which he decides on a name. I ended up coming up with a segment concerning his 'hero look'. I had something that works, but I want to come up with an alternative since it feels a little 'meh'.**

**I'll still work on Blue13 stories for my "Magicked Moments" I c****urrently have an idea for one involving a song and 'first kiss', but I'm not sure how to proceed beyond 'the kiss'. **

**In the meantime enjoy this fanfic.**

**until next time,**

**hopefulmuse617**

**disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice or any of its canon material**

* * *

After his declaration and much convincing, Eduardo Dorado Jr. is ready to join The Outsiders.

The Outsiders were thrilled to have him. On December twenty-second he joined said team in the Premier Building. He had started to go through 'hero' training. He wondered how they could all go through with it. He already got a handle on his powers guiding other meta-teens and using them in emergencies. He was already pretty fit and continued to develop healthy habits from gaining control of his life and powers.

When it came to training, it made everything he did seem trivial.

Virgil had given him a cryptic 'heads up' when it came to training. It was not helpful.

Since everybody on the Outsiders was a former member of The Team they had already a sense of working together and had gotten a solid grip on mastering their powers. He is on a comparable level with everyone else, but he was still fumbling.

There was physical training in the 'gym level'. He understood that heroes need to be in shape, but seeing some of them go past what would have been beyond human limits, was overwhelming.

"Just do what's comfortable and then increase the difficulty, gradually." Cassie explained pumping way more metal than expected.

"Give yourself a break too. You want to let your muscles repair themselves after a good work out." Garfield elaborated while cooling off.

"Good to know."

There were combat lessons as well. Artemis was training him in addition to Forager, Tara and Violet. They were having sparring matches. He did okay, for the most part.

"You lasted longer than I thought. You need to watch your opponent's hips especially with experienced fighters." Tara advised while helping Ed onto his feet.

"Gracias Tara. You are definitely a force of nature now."

"Tara great job, you showed great improvement. Ed you got the right stances and good instincts, even a good head which is pretty rare. You just need to practice more." Artemis stated.

"Si. I will get to it."

"Forager thinks Eduardo Dorado Jr. did better than last time. Eduardo-" Forager began to share

"Forager you can just call me Ed. We're all friends here. Somos so amigos."

"Understood. Ed lasted longer in the circle than last time."

"Yes. You lasted about 20 seconds more. Keep up the good work!" Violet cheered.

There was team maneuvers. He knew everyone well enough, but during one of the drills he accidentally bumped into Brion. He was using his lava powers at that instance.

"Ah! Muy Caliente!"

"Eduardo are you alright?"

"Lo siento, Brion."

"No, I'm sorry. I should have been more cautious."

Then there were 'history lessons' going through old records of Team missions and previous Outsider missions. A fair number of them groaned at this.

"So it's just like school."

"And you thought you could get away from it by doing hero work." Virgil commented.

"Trust me hermano. It could save your life. You don't want to be a 'freshman' that 'never does their homework'. " Jaime advised.

They did take breaks some of which acted like a team exercise. They played games, ate, relaxed, did homework together. There were plenty of things to do in the building.

Then came a question.

"Hey Ed! What's going to be your superhero name?" Cassie asked

"Huh?"

"Your cryptonym, your nom de guerre." Brion elaborated.

"Could you say that again in spanish or english amigo?"

"Your codename." Brion restated.

"You could have said that."

"So what's it going to be Eddie?" Cassie asked again, chin resting on her hands.

"Might I suggest Hot Lava?" Brion suggested.

A couple of the guys snickered, having heard the story.

"Why would I call myself Hot Lava? It sounds like a stripper-version of your name."

The snicker evolved into laughter.

"Inside joke." Brion commented.

"I know it's not much of 'secret identity' scenario, but you should give yourself one so people know what kind of hero you are." Garfield elaborated.

"Assure them you're going to save them. Like 'Hey, it's The Flash' or 'Never fear, Superman is here' you know?" Bart demonstrated imitating civilian and announcer voices..

"It gives yourself a goal. Like for me, Bart and Cassie who are 'legacies'." Jaime added.

"You could also pick something that's catchy and goes with your powers. Like 'Static' is for me, 'Beast Boy' for Gar and 'Geoforce' for Brion." Virgil stated gesturing to himself, Garfield and Brion respectively.

"I hadn't really thought of it that way." Ed said thoughtfully.

"You said it yourself when you had not wanted to be in on the hero game."

"Like I was asking. Got any ideas?" Cassie said bring it back to the point.

"I honestly don't know. I had been so focused on training and counseling.."

"You teleport. So maybe your name could be 'The Teleporter'?" Jaime suggested.

"His 'teleportation' works like a zeta beam. Zetaboy?" Garfield offered.

"Gracias, but no to both of them. The first one is lame, and I am not going with the 'boy', 'man' pattern."

"Both of them aren't definitely crash enough for you, a-mi-go." Bart affirmed.

"How about El Hombre? That sounds manly, since you're 'the man' as a counselor and you speak spanish. It also sounds like a wrestlers' name, like those 'luchadors'." Cassie ecstatically suggested.

"Cassie, that translates to 'the man' and sounds a little too simple. I can't imagine Ed as a 'luchador', no offense." Jaime reasoned.

"None taken."

"Let's try working with your goals." Garfield said changing the conversation.

"You want to represent for the meta-teens at the Youth Center." Virgil stated.

"You want to be an example to them, encourage them to not be afraid of their powers and show them what they could do with them." Brion elaborated

"Why not? Your their golden boy, a-mi-go!" Bart cheered.

"Golden boy?"

"When you teleport you leave in a gold flash, kinda." Cassie reasoned.

"Hey ese, your last name is Dorado! Gold in Espanol." Jaime epiphanized.

"Like the city, El Dorado? Or was that a person?" Bart asked.

"That's it!" Ed shouted suddenly standing.

Everyone stopped talking to look to the Argentinian who zetaed to the window, facing everyone.

"Call me El Dorado, the golden one." He declared posing with his hand in fists on his hips and slightly turning his chest to one side.

There was silence until Jaime, Virgil and Brion stifled a laugh.

"El Dorado, huh?" Gar wondered aloud.

"That's so crash!" Bart exclaimed, dashing up right next to the teleporter. "El-Do-ra-do. Not as one word dramatic, but fits the whole example thing, goal setting, and almost goes with your powers. And reflects you culture. And happens to be you last name!" He continued speed-talking through all the points.

Ed let out an awkward laugh.

"We're glad to have you, El Dorado." Garfield enthused.

"If you take the first letters it also spells E-D. Which are your initials in your own name minus the Jr. part and what almost everyone calls you Ed. " Cassie commented. "Also sounds pretty close Ed Dorado, El Dorado. I bet you wouldn't get yourself lost as an Outsider."

"Hey it kinda rhymes, Eduardo, El Dorado-" Bart added.

Jaime, Virgil and Brion let out several more laughs, not being able to hold back after Cassie's and Bart's observations.

"Seriously you guys, try to stay whelm." Garfield reproached.

All three boys were keeling over, gripping their stomach. Laughing in between words.

"Sorry...Ed. But, the pose... and the line...Well played..."

"'I'm El Dorado,... the golden one'. Lo siento ese… But it's... kinda... cheesy… "

"I… agree… Mother… of Goat..."

All of them let out their laughs until they regained their bearings.

"But really man. It's good, real good. You're going to be great." Virgil encouraged giving a thumbs up.

Ed smiled having gotten an approval from his teammates.


	2. Costume and Parental Consent

**Hey everyone,**

**I had this part ready. This is set immediately after Ed's declaration of his hero name. In addition to starting the 'super suit' conversation, there is a scene between Ed and his father and even Neut who hasn't said a word in Season 3 despite his appearances. I hope you all enjoy. **

**I now have an Archive of Our Own account under the name hart051. A lot of the works are just for Young Justice and have pretty much the same content. But check them out if you like. **

**until next time,**

**hopefulmuse617**

**disclaimer- I do not own Young Justice or any of its canon material.**

* * *

"Now it leads to my next question. What are you going to wear?" Cassie asked

Jaime let out another burst of laughter.

"What is it this time Jaime?" Ed exasperated.

"I just imagined you in a gold leotard." Jaime managed to say.

Some of the others let out a snicker or two, while the others and Ed made a face.

"Great, now I got that image stuck in my head." Virgil complained sarcastically.

"Just pick something you want to wear and can work in." Garfield explained.

"Not everyone wears a 'super suit' take Superboy for example." Cassie added.

"Or me. I doubt your powers will be an issue for outfits." Virgil added.

Ed continued this routine. Working at the Youth Center, training with the Outsiders, even getting to know the newer faces: Brion, Fred/Forager, Dr. Jace, Violet and Tara. Vic seems to make it imperative to never be seen by anyone outside of the residents minus Gar. Everyone (Outsider, The Team or even a Leaguer) would not treat him poorly, but he understood the 'cyborg' needed to work things out himself. He noticed that Forager made it his job to watch for Vic.

_Good for him._

He shared his new experiences with his fellow peer counselor, Neut. They were taking a break walking around outside the Center.

"El Dorado, huh?" Neut commented.

"Is something wrong with it?"

"No. It kinda fits you, you know?"

"Thanks."

"You got an idea for a super suit yet?"

"No. I haven't gotten much time to think of one." He stopped walking for a beat before continuing. "Not a gold leotard, that's for sure."

Neut laughed. "If you're going to call yourself 'the golden one', you should have something golden."

"I'll think about it."

"So how is your dad about all this?"

Ed recalled the moment sometime after his declaration.

It was just after his declaration when the father and son had entered their home. After taking a moment to unwind Ed approached his father who was going over files in the dining space. His father was groaning when Ed entered.

"Mijo," Dr. Dorado began. "When were you going to talk to me about this?"

"I was. I had talked with Jaime and Bart about it. Honest. As soon as I saw Gar and the others return and thinking about Wendy, I just had to do it then and now. It was a spur of the moment, but with the way things are going at the center." Ed made a bunch of random gestures. "How could I not do something?"

"Eduardo, you were doing everything you can-"

"Just being a peer counselor and organizing events wasn't enough. I mean, The Outsiders, they're crash. Gar made a good choice in asking Jaime and Bart to join. The other members are great as well, it's just it feels that only 'privileged' heroes can join. People who have connections."

"What about Virgil?"

"Virgil is crash, but the kids don't know him that well. He doesn't come to center very often and he's kinda moded with being 'single'."

Dr. Dorado sighed. "I guess, you're right."

There was a moment of silence between the two.

"You know you are still a minor, mijo. And I am your father."

"Yes. But you know why I need to do this. I'm not doing this for popularity… "

Ed continued his rant until his father intervened.

"Just be careful, Eduardo."

"It's about-wait. What did you say?"

Dr. Dorado sighed. "You have my permission to join the Outsiders."

"I do?" Ed looked at the older man as though he had grown a second head.

"I know about the attack on Thanksgiving. I heard from your friends, about how you used your powers and the collars on the attackers. Aquaman also put in a good word about The Outsiders. He told me about his past experience while on The Team."

"Oh."

Dr. Dorado stood up and placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "You're a smart young man, Eduardo. You have a good head on your shoulders. Don't lose it."

Ed looked to his father's hand and then to father before thanking him.

"Si Papi. Gracias. Thank you."

Back in the present the two counselors took a moment to let it sit.

"Wow. You're dad really had changed. I would've thought he'd try to talk you out of it."

"You aren't the only one."

* * *

**Another note: I have two ways the rest of the fanfic could go. To be less confusing I am thinking of posting one version on this site and the other on Archive of Our Own. What do you guys think?**


	3. To The Golden One

**Hey everyone,**

**hopefulmuse617. It's been a while. I probably won't be on for a long while, but I am highly active on Archive Of Our Own another fanfiction site. A reader recommended I post my works there and I feel it has a better turn out than posting here. I also like the posting window. You can't really save documents like here, but I can list more characters, relationships etc. In the meantime I'm going to update some of the works here. This is the alternate route in my "Golden Boy" work. It was the first route before what I came up with in Archive of Our Own. The last chapter is going to be an ending scene which is not going to be very long.**

**So enjoy!**

**Disclaimer I do not own Young Justice or Young Justice Outsiders**

* * *

Ed was in for a shock on Christmas Day. As soon as he set foot on the center, Neut escorted him to his dorm room to change his clothes for him. The weirdest part, Ed has to keep his eyes closed until he is told to open them.

"Why do I have to change? And why do you have to assist me? And why am I not allowed to see?"

"It's a surprise." Neut stated to answer all of Ed's questions.

"That's reassuring."

"Don't worry Ed, you'll like it."

Even after changing Ed was ordered to still have his eyes closed. It also turned out there was more. He was sitting down on Neut's bed when he heard the door open on several occasions. He heard Wendy's giggle when she stopped by.

"Mind telling me what's going on Neut, por favor?"

"If I did, it would ruin the surprise." Neut countered.

"It better not be some prank."

"It isn't. How can you say that? No one has a bone to pick on you. You're 'the golden boy'."

"Did Bart or Virgil put you and the other kids up to this?"

"Oh, those two and The Outsiders don't know anything, yet."

"Hermano, you are not doing a good job at keeping me whelm."

The last visit was from his dad, he recognized his footsteps and his knock. He had to put some sort of 'jacket' on. Neut had 'fastened' it closed on the side. He stepped back and then rolled up the sleeves.

"Can I look now?"

"No, not yet."

"Seriously! What is it now?"

"It will be fine Ed."

"Why do I feel this is one of those surprise makeover shows? Or I'm about to get married and if I see myself before the wedding I'll get ten years of bad luck?"

"It's not like that! And you thought I had an active imagination!" Neut laughed.

"Is this mi padre's idea? I know he came in, Neut."

"It isn't just his idea. Come on, we're going. Keep your eyes closed."

Ed groaned. What the hell is going on? He wished to teleport out, only issue he needs his eyes closed. From what he could tell he was wearing something new. He had a 'jacket', a turtleneck shirt with long sleeves, fitted jeans, boots, a belt, fingerless gloves and there was something wrapped around his waist at an angle but he couldn't tell what it was. His current outfit was new, he could tell from the stiffness of the cloth and the boots he was wearing. They were all a pretty good fit. Whatever this was and whoever picked them did a good job. Only issue, what does he look like now? He heard a few whispers from some of the other kids. They were talking about him, but he did not know what exactly. He heard his 'hero name' a couple of times. He thought for a second he was in some gawky gold outfit, but he thought better than to jump to conclusions. The walk was to his usual counseling space. He had been in the building long enough to know that. At the door he heard various voices he recognized.

"Not bad, goldie." Leslie said.

"It looks perfect." Andy complemented.

"You sure cleaned up nicely Ed. Nice job Neut." Celia added.

"This better not be a joke!" Ed seethed.

"It won't. Now come on." Neut reassured for what seemed to be the hundredth time, rolling his eyes.

They entered the space. He heard various comments about being good looking and even a cat-call whistle.

"You can open your eyes now, El Dorado!" Wendy called.

"Finally, now will-" Ed shouted only to stop when he saw himself in the mirror.

It was set up in the middle of the room. He got a look at what he was wearing. He wasn't completely decked out in gold, but he did have a gold belt that hung at an angle and a gold buckle black belt that held his military green jeans up. The black boots he was wearing were much different from his casual ones. They felt heavier, but sturdy and looked military grade. He saw that the 'under' shirt and gloves were black and the 'jacket' was red and looked as though it was made of patches. He liked the feel of it. He began to turn side to side and saw something on his back.

"Go closer, you doofus!" Wendy reprimanded shoving Ed closer to the mirror.

He stumbled a bit and was standing a foot or two before the mirror. He got a closer look at himself in the mirror. He saw on the back of his top was a stylized sun like one he had often worn when he was younger, only the color was more golden and matched the second belt.

"The ninos wanted to give you a present for Navidad, mijo. They were the ones to have thought of the outfit or 'your supersuit'." Dr. Dorado explained.

"I thought of the boots. You old man bought them, though." Leslie explained.

"I chose the pants." Celia stated.

"The second belt was my idea." Andy added softly.

"The gloves were my touch. You're going to get your hands dirty, and may as well look cool." Wendy added.

"The jacket?"

"Your abuelo sent it through the express mail after hearing about you joining The Outsiders. (Don't let your son forget his heritage!) That was something he wrote on the card." Dr. Dorado answered.

"I don't know what to say. Gracias, everyone."

"You are the golden one to all of us Ed." Neut commented.

"You look muy guapo, Eduardo. Just like a hero. Un superheroe."

"That's El Dorado, the golden one." Ed smirked.


	4. Golden

The day after Christmas, at the Premier Building Gar was going over team maneuvers. All Outsiders except Ed were present.

"Alright, let's get to it. Kid Flash, Wonder Girl Fast-" Gar directed only to be interrupted.

"Espera! I'm here! I'm here!" Ed called running up to the group.

"You're late." Gar accused.

"I know. I'm sorry. I got caught up, helping at the center."

"I know you have an instinct toward giving the teens what they need amigo. But, being even one second late can mean- " Kid Flash advised only to stop when he got a proper look at Ed.

Everyone got a good look at Ed in his 'super suit'.

"Well, you chose a good time to be fashionably late." Cassie commented.

Virgil let out a low whistle.

"Nice threads, Ed." Virgil complemented

"Just looking at your super suit got Kid to take his mouth off mode. You save us, El Dorado." Jaime teased.

"I like the sun motif." Brion pointed. "I'm glad you did not go with a 'gold leotard'."

"Gracias, everyone."

"Not that you would look bad in one." Bart blurted out.

Everyone looked at Bart. The speedster was turning scarlet.

"I mean. You don't look bad right now. It's great. Glad you kept the hair too. Not that you should worry. Also like the touches of gold. Can't be 'the golden one' without them. You might have a hard time with comment on the lack of gold. Not that it's not 'not crash', it's totally crash. The jacket especially, looks awesome on you, amigo! Whew! Is it me or is it getting hot in here? Literally is it-" Bart continues speeding through various complements.

The rest of the Outsiders were making silent commentary on a potential ship or even taking the time to record the scene for future blackmail material against the speedster.

"You okay Kid?"

"Ummm… " Bart overheated.

"Hello? Time for team maneuvers! Look alive Outsiders!" Gar commanded. "And El D be on time! Kid, Wonder Girl Fastball Special!"


End file.
